UEFA cup, second round, first leg

Barcelona were the first Spanish side to kick off in the second round first leg, and they came away with the tie almost won already after a 0-3 victory over Panionios. Luis García opened the scoring just before half time and then set up substitute Patrick Kluivert for a second only a minute after the Dutch striker had replaced Saviola at the break. And Xavi finished things off with a third from a direct free kick in the last minute.

Villarreal are also well on the way to a place in the third round after a 2-0 win over Torpedo Moscow. The torpedoes this time though came from the yellow submarine's Riquelme, who scored twice in the first twenty-five minutes of the second half and then just missed out on his hat-trick when he hit the bar near the end.

Mallorca got off to a good start as well, winning 1-2 at Copenhagen. Curiously it was the Danish side's defender Albrechtsen who scored a goal for each side in the first half, turning Nené's cross past his own keeper before making up for it with a goal for his own side. Substitute Nagore won it though for the Islanders with a second half strike.

Unfortunately Valencia were not able to complete a full house for Spanish sides in the last game of the night, surprisingly being held to a 0-0 draw at home to Maccabi Haifa. Visiting keeper Davidovitch was the star of the match, and Rafa Benítez's side now have an uphill battle in the second leg three weeks from now. (06.11.03)